A Judge Who Plays One on TV: LAW
By Mary Flood, Houston Chronicle
Feb. 27–Being a fake TV judge pays better than being a real one and may be more fun, too.
If there really is a Democratic sweep of the Texas judiciary, perhaps Republican incumbents could hop on the TV judge show bandwagon, pioneered by Joseph Wapner in The People’s Court and now led by Judge Judy’s Judith Sheindlin.
David Young, who was a jurist in Miami for nearly 15 years, has done just that. The first openly gay TV judge, Young was in Houston on Tuesday promoting his show, Judge David Young which first aired in September.
He says the job pays better, plus the hours are pretty good — it’s about nine weeks a year taping shows.
He was “discovered” by folks at Sony Pictures Television looking to fill a new tele-bench. He was spotted on Court TV overseeing the 2005 trial of two America West pilots who were later imprisoned for trying to fly drunk.
“Doing this mixes my two passions — entertainment and the law,” said Young, who sometimes breaks into song on the TV bench — maybe a little “You say tomayto, I say tomahto,” the Mr. Ed show theme song or “What’s it all about, Alfie?”
The tunes depend on the case at hand providing the muse.
He’s also sold as “justice with a snap,” meaning he might snap his fingers in the air while telling a participant “denial is not a river in Egypt, and it does not flow through this courtroom, sir.”
Picked up from real courts An engaging, bespectacled 48-year-old, Young is one of a long line of TV judges.
Some are former judges like Young was, others aren’t.
The shows generally find their cases by scouring the real justice of the peace and county courts around the nation, looking for a landlord-tenant case with a twist or a contract dispute that’s out of the ordinary — like the lady who contracted to have her dead cat freeze-dried, but the pet was put in the wrong pose.
The parties in the real-life case contract with the TV shows and agree to binding arbitration to be decided by the TV judges.
They also agree the show will pay their expenses to the studio and pay any judgment in the case.
“Other TV judges are not as passionate, nor as compassionate for people as I am,” Young said of his TV judge style.
He said he has more freedom to be himself on the commercial bench than when the government paid his salary.
A calming presence He likes to calm the people on his show, who he said really do feel nervous like they are in court, even though it’s just a set.
Young, a former criminal defense attorney and assistant state’s attorney, said he’s learned a lot doing the TV show: about dry cleaning, checking rental cars for damage, checking alterations at the tailors and security deposits.
People watching his show can learn, too, he said.
He wants people to watch and gain respect for the judicial system, and he doesn’t think the hype hurts that.
The hype factor And his show is hyped.
On his Web site you can see a variety of hairstyles worn by his female bailiff, and you can download Judge David Young wallpaper, screen savers and a buddy icon.
Young’s cheery courtroom can be seen locally weekdays on KRIV-TV Channel 26 from 1 to 2 p.m.
Houston lawyer Larry Joe Doherty also played a judge on TV for more than four years on Texas Justice. He was never a real judge, but agreed the TV gig pays better than the elected position.
Doherty, who is running for a legislative office, also said his approach to TV judging was more compassionate than most, and he also sees it as a public service.
“Of course, it it weren’t entertaining it wouldn’t be on TV,” Doherty said. “I called it the civil alternative to gunplay.”
He said small claims courts, like the ones mimicked on TV shows, are a good place for people to air disputes, and the shows explain the process to people.
A Sony Pictures TV official traveling with Young in Houston this week said he expects there to be a full dozen TV judge shows on this fall, because the model holds up financially on the daytime TV schedule.
mary.flood@chron.com
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